Author: Sports Radio Service

A’Ja Wilson Hits 1000th Season Point-First In WNBA History In Win Over Sun 84-71

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A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces holds up the sign that says it all scoring her 1000th point against the Connecticut Sun at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Sun Sep 15, 2024 (Las Vegas Aces photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Las Vegas Aces (25-13) won their third game in a row beating the Connecticut Sun (27-11) 84-71. This was a win that A’Ja Wilson will never forget. This game will hold a very special memory for the rest of her life. She hit her 1000th season point Saturday, the first player to ever do it in a single season.

She has played her heart out all season through the ups the downs and they are cresting right now as they head closer to the playoffs. Wilson finished this historic game with 29 points and nine rebounds.

Game recap: The Connecticut Sun are holding down third place in the WNBA right now and going into this game, every team in the league is playing tough ball and the Sun will be a challenge.

There are no “gimmes” in women’s basketball right now. There are the teams that can only aspire to playing the spoiler and there are the team’s that are headed for the playoffs. The Aces and the Sun are both headed to the playoffs; the Sun in third place and the Aces in fourth with two games left on the regular season.

The Las Vegas Aces, who have won seven of their last eight games, took a 29-25 lead after the first ten minutes of play. They were leading at the half 48-40. Las Vegas had an amazing third quarter outscoring the Sun 23-11 taking a 20 point lead 71-51.

Connecticut played hard in the fourth quarter outscoring the Aces 20-13 making up some ground but it was not enough to overcome the lead that the Aces had built. Las Vegas won a tough game against the Connecticut Sun 84-71.

Fans enjoyed the game and seeing the team win but there was a special moment in the final two minutes of the game that sent the arena into a wild frenzy. At exactly 1:57 left in the game, Wilson made an 11-foot pullup shot assisted by Jackie Young for her 1,000th pt in a single season.

30 seconds after the shot the Aces called a timeout as her teammates mobbed her. She took the court acknowledging the loud ovation from the fans clapping her hands with tears in her eyes.

Right now the Aces hold a one-game lead over the Seattle Storm for the No. 4th seed in the playoffs as well as home-court advantage in that series.

Marina Mabrey led the Suns with 18 points and Brionna Jones added 17 points. For the Aces Kelsey Plum finished with 14 points. She hit a late much needed three to seal this win for Las Vegas. She came through in much the same way in their last game with the Fever.

Game notes: Sunday afternoon Michelob ULTRA Arena was bursting at the seams with fans not only anticipating another win but hoping to witness an unparalleled milestone. The sell-out crowd was there of course to root the Aces on but to also be in person for the 1000th point hit by the amazing Aces leader A’Ja Wilson.

She has thrilled fans for years now and this year could possibly be her best yet. With two games left in the season, Sunday’s game was the second to last regular season game played at Michelob. They will finish the season next Thursday taking on the Dallas Wings at home.

Tuesday night the Aces take on the Seattle Storm on the road and finish the season back home playing the Dallas Wings Thursday. Tipoff for Tuesday night’s game is scheduled for 7:00 PM and can be viewed on NBA TV.

Padres sweep Giants with 4-3 10-inning win at Oracle

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San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin (left) and pitching coach Bryan Price (right) watch the Giants and San Diego Padres in the ninth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Sep 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

San Diego Padres 4 (85-65)

San Francisco Giants 3 (72-78)

Win: Robert Suarez (9-3)

Loss: Camilo Doval (5-3)

Save: Adrian Morejon (2)

Time: 2:42

Attendance: 33,043

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Padres completed their sweep of the Giants with a 4-3 win in 10 innings, as the Giants have dropped four straight to tie their season-low six games under .500.

Prior to the game, the Giants held a celebration of life for the late hall-of-famer, Orlando Cepeda on a gorgeous and windy partly cloudy fall day on the shores of McCovey Cove. The ceremony was emceed by Giants’ broadcasters Erwin Higueros and Mike Krukow. Numerous guests spoke, including fellow Hall-of-Famer Juan Marichal, Dusty Baker and Cepeda’s granddaughter.

Before it was over, Krukow read a statement made by Willie Mays, who passed ten days before Cepeda. Mays considered Cepeda a little brother and told the story of how Cepeda was a bat boy when Mays played winter ball in Puerto Rico in 1954.

Sunday was Roberto Clemente Day around Major League Baseball, and all uniformed personnel wore a special patch to commemorate the occasion. Players throughout the league also had the option of wearing Clemente’s number 21. Heliot Ramos wore number 21 for the Giants. Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and David Peralta wore number 21 for the Padres.

Mike Yastrzemski, who did not wear number 21 Sunday, was honored prior to the game in a short ceremony as the Giants’ nominee for the 2024 Roberto Clemente Award. The award is given annually to the player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

Anyway, the Giants had been shutout in three-straight games, marking the first time they suffered through that humiliation since June 23-25, 1992. The Giants were also looking to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Padres.

Melvin held a team meeting following Saturday night’s loss and made clear that the way they were playing was not cutting it. Prior to the game Sunday, Melvin had his players go through infield practice, something that happens more in spring training, to try and fix some of their defensive miscues.

The ceremonies delayed the start of the game to 1:35. Once the game started, Landen Roupp took the ball for the Giants and set down the first six men he faced. Likewise, Padres’ starter Martin Perez set down the first nine men he faced,

Roupp was really supposed to be the opener, but he ended up throwing five shutout innings, and allowed just two hits. The only time he ran into trouble was in the top of the third inning, when he gave up a pair of hits and walked a guy. What helped him get out of that jam was a double play he induced off the bat of Elias Diaz.

Spencer Bivens came in for the Giants in the top of the sixth, and the Padres immediately had him on the ropes. Luis Arraez led off the inning with a base-hit to left, and Donovan Solano reached on an error by second-baseman Mark Canha.

Jurickson Profar moved the runners over to second and third with a sacrifice bunt, and Manny Machado got Arraez in with a sacrifice fly to left. Erik Miller then came in and struck out Jackson Merrill to end the inning.

Like Roupp, Perez had also thrown five shutout innings, which extended the Giants’ scoreless innings streak to 32. However, Padres Manager Mike Shildt let Perez back out for the bottom of the sixth, and Donovan Walton led off the inning with a home run to right-center to tie the game and finally snap the streak.

It was Walton’s first big league hit since July 2, 2022, and it also ended the day for Perez. Perez went five-plus innings, while allowing a run and two hits.

Jeremiah Estrada came in and survived a two-out double by Matt Chapman, and left-hander Taylor Rogers pitched a one, two, three top of the seventh for the Giants. Tanner Scott came in for San Diego in the bottom of the seventh, and while he walked Marco Luciano with one out, Luciano was caught trying to steal second to end the inning.

Submariner Tyler Rogers came in for his brother in the top of the eighth. Fernando Tatis led off, and he took the first pitch from Rogers and hit a bomb to left-center to put the Padres back ahead.

Rogers retired the side in order after the home run by Tatis, and Jason Adam came in to throw a one, two, three inning for the Padres in the bottom of the eighth. Ryan Walker then pitched through a two-out walk for a scoreless top of the ninth.

The Padres brought in their closer, Robert Suarez, for the bottom of the ninth as they tried to finish off the sweep. The first batter for the Giants was Heliot Ramos, and on a 3-2 pitch, he hit an opposite-field home run to right that went into the water for the first-ever splash hit by a right-handed hitter in the 25-year history of Oracle Park.

It was the 105th splash hit by a Giant, and the 166th home run into McCovey Cove overall. Until Sunday, not a single one had been hit by a right-handed hitter. Buster Posey nearly became the first with his two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning in Game 1 of the 2021 National League Division Series between the Giants and the Dodgers, but it ended up hitting the water cannon.

Most importantly, Ramos’ splash hit tied the game 2-2. Suarez then retired the side in order, and that sent the game into the 10th.

With extra innings came the automatic runner at second. The home team used to have the advantage in extra innings, as they had the last at-bat and the chance of a walk-off. However, with the road team having a runner at second with nobody out in a tied game, they had the real advantage now.

That advantage would pay dividends for the Padres in the top of the tenth. Melvin brought in Camilo Doval with Jake Cronenworth at second. David Peralta led off the inning with an RBI base-hit to left, which scored Cronenworth to put the Padres back ahead. (I know, “led off the inning with an RBI base-hit” makes no sense, but neither does baseball Sunday.)

Arraez doubled with one out to put runners at second and third, and Solano grounded out to third to knock in Peralta and make it 4-2.

Adrian Morejon was summoned by San Diego for the bottom of the tenth, and Yastrzemski was the runner at second for the Giants. Yastrzemski got to third on a ground out by Luciano, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Conforto.

However, having a runner at second with nobody out down by two is nothing like having a runner at second with nobody out in a tied game. Patrick Bailey grounded out to third, and the Padres won it 4-3.

Robert Suarez picked up the win despite blowing his fifth save; Camilo Doval took the loss; and Adrian Morejon got the save. The Giants fall back to their season-low six games under .500 at 72-78.

The Giants will now embark on their final road trip of the season, and if you think their 72-78 record right now is bad, just wait until they have to go through Baltimore, Kansas City and Arizona to play three teams destined for the playoffs.

The Giants will have a day off in Baltimore Monday, and then they will begin a three-game series against the mighty Orioles on Tuesday at Camden Yards.

The Giants will have a chance to play spoiler in the American League East race. The Orioles trail the New York Yankees by three games, but the Giants would be doing a major favor to the Orioles by beating them since it would make it more likely that Baltimore would be a wild card team and not have a week off.

Blake Snell (3-3, 3.52 ERA) will take the ball for the Giants on Tuesday, and he will be opposed by former Giant Albert Suarez (8-5, 3.39 ERA), who is back in the big leagues this season for the first time since 2017. First pitch will be at 6:35 p.m. in Baltimore, and 3:35 p.m. back home in San Francisco.

A’s Drop Series To White Sox In Shocker 4-3

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Oakland A’s Brent Rooker slugged a two run home run in the top of the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox in a losing cause at Guarantee Rate Field in Chicago on Sun Sep 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

In a series that the Oakland A’s (65-85) should have won, the complete opposite took place on Sunday in game three of their series. The 4-3 loss to Chicago White Sox (35-115) was a bit of a shocker after winning game one in a shutout 2-0.

The A’s barely lost Saturday’s coming back to tie twice so a better effort was expected in Sunday’s game. The A’s hit a couple of home runs, one from Brent Rooker and a second from Shea Langeliers but it was not enough to win the game losing 4-3. JP Sears had a rough start giving up three runs in the first inning.

Game recap: Saturday the White Sox had taken a 3-0 lead after three innings. In Sunday’s game Chicago took a 3-0 lead in the first inning and this was not the way Oakland wanted to start the game. They were behind the eight ball from the get-go.

JP Sears gave up a walk, an infield single and with two runners on base a Gavin Sheets home run for the 3-0 tally. The A’s had tied the game twice in Saturday’s contest so while it was not ideal, it was early in the game.

Neither team scored in the following three innings but in the fifth inning Oakland was up on the scoreboard only trailing by a single run. Brent Rooker knocked a 407 foot bomb out of the park with Lawrence Butler on base cutting the Chicago lead to 3-2. The A’s were within striking distance.

The White Sox did not let their foot off the pedal hitting their second home run of the game in the sixth inning pushing their lead back out to 4-2. Bryan Ramos hit a solo home run making it a little more difficult for Oakland but still within reach.

The hits were not coming for either team in the seventh and eighth innings and it all came down to the ninth inning for the A’s. Tyler Nevin lined out, Max Schuemann struck out and it was up to Shea Langeliers to keep this game going. He connected for a solo home run and Oakland was within a run of another tie. It all came to an end when Nick Allen flied out and that was the ball game 4-3.

It was an awful disappointment for the A’s in more than one way. They had so many ties in this series only to lose games. Lawrence Butler’s hit streak came to an end in this game. He did have an RBI but no hits. So often loses come at the hand of teams that are struggling; they have nothing to lose and the A’s experienced this in the series.

Game notes: Sunday afternoon the A’s took on the White Sox in game three of their series and dropped a heartbreaker 4-3 after Oakland lost Saturday’s game after tying up the game twice, the second tie in the top of the ninth.

A’s pitcher Hogan Harris threw a pitch that was right in Chicago’s Andrew Benintendi’s wheelhouse. The result was a 366 foot home run and a Chicago walk-off 7-6 on Saturday. Oakland starter JP Sears went six innings, allowed seven hits, four earned runs, and struck out four strike outs. The Sox starter Sean Burke pitched five innings allowing five hits and two earned runs.

Oakland will remain in Chicago taking on the Cubs in a three game series that will begin Monday. The Cubs are coming off losing a series to the Colorado Rockies who are also really struggling. The Cubs are a good ball club, in second place in the National League Central. The probable pitcher for the Oakland A’s will be Joey Estes with a 7-7 win/loss record and a 4.36 ERA. Shota Imanaga will take the mound for the Cubs with a 13-3 win/loss record and a 3.03 ERA. First pitch for this game is scheduled for 4:40 PM.

49ers Offense Stalled By Minnesota Vikings 23-17

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Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman (51) breaks up a pass that was intended for San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszcyk (44) in second half action at US Bank Field in Minneapolis on Sun Sep 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco 49ers (1-1) came up a touchdown short losing to the Minnesota Vikings (2-0) 23-17 in a game that was not their finest hour. Quarterback Brock Purdy finished with 297 yards, one touchdown and one interception. They did rally in the third quarter but both George Kittle and Nick Bosa were helped off the field during the quarter. They also had three fumbles although two were recovered.

Game recap: The first quarter of this game was all defense. The only scoring in the opening quarter was a Minnesota field goal. Viking kicker Will Reichard kicked a 22 field goal and going into the second quarter Minnesota led 3-0.

The offensive effort got going in earnest in the second quarter by both teams. The Vikings extended their lead five minutes into the quarter when quarterback Sam Darnold connected with Justin Jefferson for 97 yards and the first touchdown of the day. The extra point was good and Minnesota had a 10-0 lead.

The first half was looking like a wash when the 49ers finally scored with 1:53 left on the clock. Quarterback Brock Purdy hit one of his favorite targets George Kittle for seven yards and San Francisco’s first points.

The extra point was good and the 49ers had cut the Minnesota lead to 10-7. The Niners needed to take that score into the locker room at the half but the Vikings drove downfield kicking a second field goal as the clock ran out on the second quarter. A Will Reichard 39 yard field goal gave the Vikings a 13-7 lead at halftime.

Minnesota scored their second touchdown of the day at 6:49 in the third quarter. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold had his second touchdown of the day, a 10 yard connection with Jalen Nailor extending their lead 20-7.

San Francisco had a hole to dig out of and they did not start making any noise until the fourth quarter. The Minnesota defense was making life miserable for the 49ers so far in this game and San Francisco had a lot of work to do in the fourth quarter.

The Niners did score twice in the fourth quarter but they came up just short. Running back Jordan Mason scored a touchdown at 10:16 rushing for ten yards. Jake Moody kicked a 31 yard field goal with the clock running down and 1:12 left in the game. The Minnesota Vikings had kicked a 27 yard field goal at 3:30. The final was 23-17 in favor of the Vikings. San Francisco had come up a touchdown short against a very tough Vikings team.

San Francisco really struggled in this game. A collection of fumbles (they had 3 but only lost 1) and a Purdy interception didn’t do much for their cause. San Francisco got some exceptional yardage from Purdy with 291 yards, Jordan Mason’s 100 yards and Deebo Samuel’s 110 receiving yards.

George Kittle had 76 receiving yards. Two San Francisco players were helped off the field in the game. George Kittle went to the locker room in the third quarter but does not appear to be hurt suffering from cramps. It snowballed when Nick Bosa was also helped off the field in the same quarter. It was a frustrating game for San Francisco. On paper the stats were positive but on the field it did not translate.

Game notes: Sunday afternoon, the 49ers traveled to Minnesota to take on Vikings at US Bank Stadium. Christian McCaffrey did not take the field in this game missing his second straight game. It was reported that he will miss four games after being put on injured reserve with calf tightness and achilles tendinitis. Last week Jordan Mason had a terrific game rushing for 140 plus yards and replaced McCaffrey in his absence.

Mason has been doing a bang up job and has been a solid addition to the Niners rushing game. U.S. Bank Stadium was rocking in this game and San Francisco was fighting the Vikings with the deafening noise from the 66,741 fans attending the game today.

The 49ers have a lot to digest as they prepare for their game next Sunday in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium against their rivals, the Rams. Los Angeles was getting stomped by the Cardinals in the first half of their game 24-3 but they were on the Arizona three yard line. The Rams would get their get their heads handed to them in a 41-10 victory on Sunday.

The Niners are favored but they will have to deal with the Stafford/Cupp connection. Despite that, San Francisco has all the weapons needed for a win in this game. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 1:25 PM PT in the Southland.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal excited to have picked up their first home victory in two seasons

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Sep 7, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Tiger Bachmeier (24) returns a punt for a touchdown against the Cal Poly Mustangs during the second half at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 The Cardinal really opened up on offense in their last game Sat Sep 7th at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto against the Cal Poly Mustangs. Tiger Buchmeier returned a 90 yard punt for a third quarter touchdown a key highlight in this game.

#2 Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns. Back up quarterback Justin Lamson rushed for a touchdown.

#3 Michael, how special has it got to be for Stanford to pick up their first home victory in coach Troy Taylor’s second year.

#4 Cal Poly scored only one touchdown in the contest in the second quarter and getting landslided 41-7. Mustangs quarterback Bo Kelly was 17-25 passing for 149 yards as Cal Poly drops it’s record to 0-2.

#5 Stanford goes up against the Syracuse Orange at Syracuse this Sat Sep 20th. The Orange are no push overs having won their first to games on Aug 31 defeating Ohio 38-22 and Georgia Tech on Sep 7, 31-28. Will the Orange be a handful for Stanford this Saturday?

Michael Roberson is a Stanford Cardinal beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich Perez: Raiders get game winner on Carlson’s field goal to defeat Lemar and Ravens 26-23

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Las Vegas Raiders kicker Dan Carlson (2) kept busy kicking field goals against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Carlson would kick the game winning field goal with 27 seconds left in the fourth quarter for the win for the Raiders first win of the season on Sun Sep 15, 2024

On the Raiders podcast with Rich Perez:

#1 Rich in the first half if you like field goals this was your game. At 8:28 in the first quarter the Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker hit a 48 yard field goal to put the Ravens on the board first 3-0.

#2 In the second quarter the Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson kicked a 53 yarder and 51 yard field goal and the Ravens Tucker kicked 42 and 32 yard field goals. At the half the Ravens held a three point lead 9-6.

#3 In the third quarter Ravens quarterback LaMar Jackson threw an eight yard pass to Zay Flowers at 11:42 and the Raiders running back Alexander Mattison carried a one yarder. The Ravens had a three point 16-13 lead after three quarters.

#4 Things really got interesting in the fourth quarter the Ravens Derrick Henry rushed for three yards to put the Ravens on top by ten 23-13 at 12:11. The Raiders would counter with 25 yard field goal by Daniel Carlson at 9:21 and at 3:54 Devante Adams caught a one yard pass from quarterback Gardner Minshew to tie it up at 23-23.

#5 At the end with 27 seconds left in the game Raiders kicker Dan Carlson booted a 38 yarder for the game winner and the Raiders shocked Raven Nation with a 26-23 win in Baltimore.

#6 Rich next up the Carolina Panthers who are struggling and lost today to the Los Angeles Chargers 26-3 will be visiting Allegiant Stadium next Sunday. The Panthers are 0-2 the Raiders might have a shot at winning two in a row.

Rich Perez podcasts the Raiders home and away games at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Syracuse Orange to be a real test for Cal this Saturday

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Cal Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) points after a carry for a first half touchdown against the San Diego State Aztecs at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Sep 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Stephen:

#1 Stephen the Cal Bears defeated the San Diego State Aztecs 31-10. The Bears got an 7-3 lead on the Aztecs in the first half was there any indication to you that the Bears had this one after that first quarter?

#2 Cal really opened it up in the second half nearly shutting out the Aztecs on defense and scoring 24 points to put the game away.

#3 Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw for two touchdowns and carried for a touchdown your impressions of the job Mendoza did?

#4 Jaivain Thomas rushed for 169 yards and Kadarius Calloway each scored a touchdown as the Bears improved to 3-0.

#5 The Bears play next at Florida State. The Seminoles are 0-3 and lost their last game to the Memphis Tigers (3-0) seeing how Florida State has been struggling how do you see this match up this Saturday at Florida State.

Stephen Ruderman does the Cal Bears podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: Raiders could have their hands full against Ravens; 49ers face ex teammate QB Darnold; plus more news

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is seen here rushing against the Kansas City Chiefs last season on Thu Sep 5, 2023 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The Las Vegas Raiders face Jackson and the Raven Sun Sep 15, 2024 in Baltimore in week 2 of the NFL season. (AP photo file)

On Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Tough opener last Sunday for the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders had a 7-6 lead over the Los Angeles Chargers but just couldn’t generate enough offense to get some insurance with the Chargers leading 9-7 in the fourth quarter they scored two touchdowns and put the game out of reach winning it 22-10. Can the Raiders regroup their offense and look to quarterback Gardner Minshew to help create some yards and scoring against a tough Baltimore Ravens defense.

#2 The San Francisco 49ers who won their opener last Sunday with authority over the New York Jets 32-19. The Jets quarterback Aaron Rogers could only do so much as the 49ers defense put him on the run all day and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was mobile throwing for 231 yards. The 49ers are in Minnesota to face former teammate and Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. Charlie talk about the 49ers in that Jets win last Sunday and will Darnold get enough protection from the 49ers defense today?

#3 The Chicago White Sox are just five games behind tying the 1962 New York Mets who lost 120 games that season a current MLB record. The White Sox on Saturday night ended their seven game losing streak defeating the Oakland A’s 7-6 with the score tied at 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth the Sox Andrew Benintendi hit a walk off home run for the win.

#4 The San Francisco Giants have been shutout for 27 consecutive innings having been shutout in three consecutive games and getting shutout by the San Diego Padres on Saturday night at Oracle Park 8-0. The Padres used three pitchers to combine for the shutout. Padres starter Joe Musgrove was sharp pitching six innings, allow just three hits.

#5 Charlie, wanted to ask you about the 1530 KFBK Sacramento report last Thursday regarding baseball agents Steve Boras saying that the idea of moving the A’s to Sutter Health Field in Sacramento should be rethought because it’s a health and safety issue to have players worth millions of dollars risking injury playing on a artificial surface. Also the facilities at Sutter Health are minor league no matter how much you try to remodel the park in the off season. Boras added that the A’s should go back to the Oakland Coliseum and negotiate with new Coliseum property owner the African American Sports Entertainment Group and get a good deal to stay at the Coliseum. Also the Major League Players Association has not signed off agreeing to play in Sacramento.

Join Charlie O for Headline Sports podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Mendoza and Thomas have big games, as Bears’ offense rushes for 275 yards in 31-10 win over San Diego State

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California Golden Bears defensive back Nohl Williams (3) reacts after making an interception during the second quarter of their game at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024

California Memorial Stadium

Berkeley, California

San Diego State Aztecs 14 (1-2)

California Golden Bears 21 (3-0)

Time: 3:28

Attendance: 35,197

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–Jaivian Thomas rushed for 169 yards, and the Bears rushed for 275 yards in total, as they beat the San Diego State Aztecs 31-10 in Berkeley to get off to their first 3-0 start since 2019.

Cal returned home after a thrilling 21-14 win in Auburn last Saturday got them off to a 2-0 start. The Bears would welcome in the San Diego State Aztecs of the Mountain West Conference on a cold and foggy Saturday night at Cal Memorial Stadium.

San Diego State came into town 1-1, and just three days after it was announced that they would be joining a resurrected Pac-12 in 2026. The Aztecs, along with Colorado State Buffaloes, the Boise State Broncos and the Fresno State Bulldogs, will join the Oregon State Beavers and the Washington State Cougars, who are the lone two holdovers from the once-great conference.

Anyway, Cal won the opening toss and chose to receive. The Bears’ first two drives were uneventful, as was the Aztecs’ first drive.

San Diego State then gained some momentum and got the ball deep into enemy territory on their second drive. The Aztecs got to 1st and 10 on the Cal 12 and gained a yard on the next two plays.

On 3rd and 9, Aztecs’ quarterback Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson threw a pass intended for wide receiver Luis Brown IV, but it was blocked by Bears’ cornerback Nohl Williams. On 4th and 9, Nick Lopez kicked a field goal from 29 to give the Aztecs a 3-0 lead with 5:44 to go in the first quarter.

The Bears would have a response on their next drive. Cal made some steady gains early on in the drive, as they got to the 50, but lost five yards on a false start. However, Jaivian Thomas then ran along the left sideline for a gain of 37 yards to the Aztecs’ 18.

Thomas gained another 10 yards on the next play, and then quarterback Fernando Mendoza got through the middle and ran it in himself for a touchdown. Ryan Coe kicked the extra point, and the Bears had a 7-3 lead with 2:29 left.

The second quarter was uneventful, and the Aztecs were unable to do anything after they received the ball to start the third quarter.

The Bears made some steady gains in the backfield, and then on 3rd and 1, Thomas rushed through the middle for a gain of 57 yards all the way to the San Diego State 7. Three plays later, Mendoza handed the ball off to Kadarius Calloway, who ran it into the endzone for a touchdown. Coe kicked the extra point, and the Bears extended their lead to 14-3.

The Aztecs were unable to do anything on their next drive, and the Bears got the ball back on their own 10 with 7:07. On a long drive that would last five minutes and 32 seconds, Mendoza threw a pass to tight end Corey Dyches, who ran it in for a touchdown. Coe once again kicked the extra point, and Cal had now opened up their lead to 21-3 with 1:35 remaining.

San Diego State once again came up empty on their next drive, but when they decided to go for it on 4th and 2, Tupou’ata-Johnson was tackled at the Aztecs’ 25, and the Bears took possession of the ball in a great position to further add on to their lead as the game went to the fourth quarter.

The Bears were unable to score a touchdown, and in fact, they ended up losing five yards in total. However, Coe made a 48-yard field goal, and that made it 24-3.

It was 3rd and 4th for the Aztecs on their next drive, as they had the ball at the Cal 40. Tupou’ata-Johnson made a five-yard pass to wide receiver Jordan Napier, who broke through three or four tackles on his 35-yard run to the endzone, and the Aztecs were back on the board for the first time since the first quarter.

It was also San Diego State’s first touchdown of the night. Nick Lopez kicked the extra point, and it was 24-10 with 11:05 to go, which meant that the Aztecs still had a chance.

However, the Bears would put an end to any last hopes San Diego State may have had. On 2nd and 10 at the Bears’ 25, Calloway made an impressive 60-year gain all the way to the Aztecs’ 15. Mendoza then threw a pass to Nyziah Hunter, who caught the ball at the two and ran it in for a touchdown. After the extra point by Coe, it was now 31-10 with 9:52 to go

The Aztecs’ next drive lasted only two plays, as following an immediate first down conversion, a pass by Tupou’ata-Johnson was intercepted by Marcus Harris.

The rest of the game was fairly uneventful, and the Bears won 31-10.

In addition to the strong running game by Cal, Fernando Mendoza had himself another big game, as he threw for 198 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Bears are off to their first 3-0 start in five years, and they will now head back to the Deep South, this time to Tallahassee, Florida to take on the 0-3 Florida State Seminoles in what will be their first ACC conference game next Saturday. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. in Tallahassee, and 4 p.m. back home in Berkeley.

Vancouver’s Picault and Armstrong each with a goal defeat Quakes 2-0 at BC Place

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San Jose Earthquakes Tanner Beason (15) blocks the penalty kick by the Vancouver Whitecaps Ali Ahmed (22) in first half action at BC Place in Vancouver on Sat Sep 14, 2024 (Canadian Press via AP photo)

By William Espy

The San Jose Earthquakes are back on the road, this time heading to BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia to take on the Vancouver Whitecaps. Since the Leagues Cup, Vancouver is 1-0-1, defeating Austin FC and drawing with FC Dallas. Meanwhile, the Quakes are 1-1-0, defeating Real Salt Lake and falling to Minnesota United FC.

Vancouver entered the night as a heavy favorite, and that’s for good reason. Not only did they have the all-important home-field advantage, but they also found themselves sixth in the Western Conference while the Earthquakes were last in the conference by a considerable margin. The Quakes were shutout on Saturday night at BC Place in Vancouver 2-0, as the Whitecaps got goals from Fafa Picault and Stuart Armstrong.

Earthquakes Starting XI: Daniel, Marie, Beason, Rodrigues, Akapo, Kikanovic, Yueill, Tsakiris, Lopez, Espinoza, Judd

Whitecaps Starting XI:Takaoka, Utvik, Veselinovic, Blackmon, Ahmed, Vite, Priso, Schopf, Adekugbe, Picault, Gauld

The Whitecaps were controlling the game in the first half. They more than doubled up the Earthquakes on shots, both total and on target. The Whitecaps had 8 total, five of which were on target. Meanwhile, the Quakes only had 3 and 2 respectively.

Possession was in Vancouver’s favor as well, with them having 56% possession after 45 minutes. Despite that, it took Vancouver until the 35th minute to get on the scoreboard when Fafa Picault scored off of an assist by Ryan Gauld on a set piece. Gauld took the corner kick, and it landed directly on Picault’s head giving Daniel no chance to make a save. It was a picture-perfect corner by Vancouver.

With the Whitecaps already the favorites heading into the match, and their early lead making it even more likely that they walk away with three points, the Earthquakes had a lot of work to do to overcome the odds.

San Jose had a couple of substitutions to start the second half with Ousseni Bouda and Vitor Costa coming on for Preston Judd and Benjamin Kikanovic. About ten minutes later, they make another change, taking off Niko Tsakiris for Alfredo Morales.

Despite the changes, Vancouver looked even more dominant to start the second half. They were controlling possession at an even more extreme rate, weren’t allowing the Quakes to get shots off, and overall were outplaying the visitors.

They fired a considerable number of shots at Daniel, and many of them forced the goalkeeper to make a save. All in all, they’d have 11 shots on target and 19 total.

In the 86th minute, Gauld got his second assist of the night on a very unselfish pass which found Stuart Armstrong wide open. He was able to put it away with no issues, giving the Whitecaps a 2-0 lead which they’d carry to the end of the match. The Earthquakes only managed two shots for the entirety of the second half, and none of them forced the goalkeeper to make a save as they were both off target.

It’s not very surprising that the Earthquakes dropped points against a top-half team in the Western Conference while on the road. The Whitecaps are a strong side in the midst of a playoff push, while there isn’t much optimism around the Earthquakes in general at the moment.

The lack of any type of offensive production, specifically in the second half certainly should be concerning though. In a season where there’s no hope in the standings, you have to at least hope for a moral victory, and in this case there weren’t even any of those to speak of. The Earthquakes will look to right the ship as their road trip continues in Seattle to take on the Sounders this Wednesday.